updated 03:05 pm EDT, Mon May 2, 2011

Alternative to Cydia

A group called the Infini Dev Team is working on a webstore for users of jailbroken iOS devices, says MacStories. Called Lima, the store will let people find, download and install unofficial apps and themes. At present visitors will likely navigate to a dedicated homepage to log into a personal account. The store may also offer the ability to manage repositories and back up installed packages.

The most popular method of downloading unofficial apps at the moment is Cydia, itself an app closely associated with the jailbreaking process. Lima could for the first time represent a serious and potentially simpler alternative. It might also serve to increase the exposure of unofficial apps, since they should turn up more readily in web searches.

Developers inform that Lima should be finished "soon." The concept is similar in some respects to the Android Market, which is now on the web and lets people bypass dedicated marketplace apps. Apple forces people to get sanctioned iOS apps through iTunes, whether on a Mac, Windows or iOS device.